I've built several stitch-n-tape boats, and ply on frame, etcetera.
Stitch-n-tape in my mind is by far the best approach and saves the most in
time, money, and complexity.

Many of the older texts and write-ups talk about using copper wire, or metal
wire, etc to do the stitching and then illustrate various techniques for
either leaving them in or taking them out. Some people use car batteries to
heat the wire so they can pull them out, or grind them off and fillet right
over them, or all sorts of other techniques. Believe me, everything has
been done or tried, so you're going to find advice going in all directions.
Sam Devlin's instructions are the closest to correct, but even his
directions can be improved on. My personal opinion is that if you add one
extra step, that all those other discussions are moot. That extra step is
the use of epoxy 'tack welds' in between the stitches. They in effect
replace the stitches prior to doing any fillet or glass work prior to the
stitches being removed, and then the stitches can be removed at your leisure
with no risk to the boat. Here's a picture of what I'm talking about (from
my current project):

http://www.glacierboats.com/tongass/...5-0533_img.jpg

Here's a summary on materials and a suggested order of events for doing the
stitching etc:

Stitching materials that DO work:
- Anything heavy enough to NOT break and that can be tied, twisted, or
otherwise held in place easily: Copper wire that is at least 16 gauge in
size, steel bailing wire (a bit stiff), nylon ties (various widths, see
picture above).

Stitching materials that DO NOT work:
- Anything light weight that is NOT strong enough: Aluminum wire, thinner
versions of copper or steel wire, or the smaller sizes of the nylon ties

Order of events:
- Drill and stitch panels, but leave them a little on the loose side
- Square and level the assembly as appropriate to guarantee that the boat is
square and level
- Tighten the stitches
- Double check square and level
- Add 'tack weld' epoxy between stitches (epoxy thickened with wood flour or
silica etc). On areas where the bends are hard, 'tack weld' on the inside
and outside of the seams (both sides)
- Remove the stitches (clip and pull)
- Build the required fillets, tape the seams, etcetera as specified in your
plans

Some people will disagree with me, but note that it's likely because they've
"always done it this way" (whichever way they are doing it) and have had
good luck. That's completely fine too and you'll likely discover your own
route to success. I'm just saying that what I do does work well and you can
try it if you want ,..or not. It's all fun!

Have fun,
Brian


"Taavi" wrote in message ...
Hello.


I have a question about stitch and glue.

I have been reading about it for some time now but I don´t understand one
thing.

After you have stiched the panels.
http://bateau2.com/images/stories/ho...D_w_Frames.jpg


And then glued and glassed everything.
Do you then take the stitches out? Because they will be visible under the
glass.
Or don´t they? And if you are going to sand it then you will sand off the
glass
from top of them.


Taavi

...That extra step is the use of epoxy 'tack welds' in between the
stitches. They in effect replace the stitches prior to doing any fillet
or glass work prior to the stitches being removed, and then the stitches
can be removed at your leisure with no risk to the boat.

That's the tabbing technique I refered to in my other post.

Other than what Brian suggested I might add that I used slightly thinner
paste for tabbing (thinner than mayo) so that it penetrate the seams. I
taped the outside of the seams with masking taped to prevent the mayo from
pouring out, but that didn't proved to be necessary. I did have quite tight
fit though. I was also worried that such a thin epoxy would pour into the
wire holes and glue the wires, but they all came out easily. I left the
wires in the extreme angles of bow and stern and pull them out after the
final filleting. It all went much easier than I expected.

I've seen several discussions about using a high quality duct tape (gorilla
glue brand duct tape) instead of the wires. This leaves no holes and
accomplishes the same job as the wires. yes/no/I'm an idiot for even
suggesting it.

I've heard that too and it should work fine. It depends partly on how much
adjusting you need to do and how large the boat is. The boat has to be
squared and level in all directions before gluing.

Brian


"Marc Reeves" wrote in message
. ..
I've seen several discussions about using a high quality duct tape
(gorilla glue brand duct tape) instead of the wires. This leaves no holes
and accomplishes the same job as the wires. yes/no/I'm an idiot for even
suggesting it.

Good points. Sometimes, a thinner mix is handy. Like when a boat is turned
over and you'd like to let epoxy seep into the nooks and crannies in the
seam (assuming the inside is already filleted and taped.) On my Tolman, I
used a milled-glass fiber mix, lots of milled glass, plus a bit of silica as
my backside fill.

Brian D


"mislav" wrote in message
...
...That extra step is the use of epoxy 'tack welds' in between the
stitches. They in effect replace the stitches prior to doing any fillet
or glass work prior to the stitches being removed, and then the stitches
can be removed at your leisure with no risk to the boat.

That's the tabbing technique I refered to in my other post.

Other than what Brian suggested I might add that I used slightly thinner
paste for tabbing (thinner than mayo) so that it penetrate the seams. I
taped the outside of the seams with masking taped to prevent the mayo from
pouring out, but that didn't proved to be necessary. I did have quite
tight fit though. I was also worried that such a thin epoxy would pour
into the wire holes and glue the wires, but they all came out easily. I
left the wires in the extreme angles of bow and stern and pull them out
after the final filleting. It all went much easier than I expected.

"Brian D" wrote in message
. ..
That's completely fine too and you'll likely discover your own route to
success. I'm just saying that what I do does work well and you can try it
if you want ,..or not. It's all fun!

Have fun,
Brian


That's about the smartest thing I've heard said... (big grin!) Either way
will work, you just have to decide which way works best... for you.

Ed